


The Misadventures of Blue

by Pande



Category: Jurassic World (2015)
Genre: Other
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-06-13
Updated: 2015-06-19
Packaged: 2018-04-04 04:45:47
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 14
Words: 11,512
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4125925
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Pande/pseuds/Pande
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>What's a lone raptor who's been raised in captivity since she was a test tube science project to do now that she's got all the space on the island to roam and no one to roam with? </p><p>Taking place after the events (but referencing from them) in Jurassic World, we follow the thrilling (and sometimes tragic) story of Blue as told purely because I wanted to.</p><p>I try and upload 2 chapters a day. They might not be long, but it's my goal to do! If I upload 4 in a day, I'm likely working and would have been unable to post!</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Hello

**Author's Note:**

> I claim no credit to the characters I reference/use. I've made up a fair bit of Blue's personality. Other dinosaurs on the island are pulled from Jurassic World's webpage for reference using their creature designs.

Hello, my name is Blue. It was a name I was designated and am familiar with.

I am a Velociraptor. I am of the genus Dromaeosaurid theropod dinosaurs that lived millions of years ago. I was born in a facility and it was the only life I had ever known. I know that I am not all one creature, I have many inside of me. I can recall the men in white speaking about me while I played with my siblings.

My three siblings were Charlie, Echo and Delta – though we were hatched together, from what I over heard the men in white say they were not my siblings. They were spliced –whatever that meant – with foreign DNA. It matters little, they are all dead now. I grieve for the loss of my pack mates. 

They said I was spliced with black throated savanna monitor lizard, but I don’t know what that means.

I have had many puzzling thoughts, many driven on instinct. Many were a product of thought. A few just for fun.

I was so used to routine and suddenly my entire world was turned upside down in an instant. First we were together, my flanking sisters and the closing sister surrounding our alpha as we played the scent game when we found 

_Follow me. Kill them. Kill them all. You all belong to ME now!_

A voice, a low throated growl I recognized as one of my sisters – a commanding voice I felt I had no choice but to obey.

_Eyes on me. Good!_

A soft voice, one never raised in anger. A clicking sound I had associated with food as a reward. Soft blue eyes that warned me not to pounce as my instinct demanded. I listened, I obeyed. He was alpha. She was alpha? Now no one is alpha.

Wait.

I am alpha.


	2. Flyers are a bunch of bullies

Soft padding of feet hitting the ground awaked the slumbering dinosaur. Her golden eyes snapped awake and she peered out from under her leafy shelter. Curiosity plagued her – what made that noise? Was it alpha? She rose and barked out a painful cry as her sore muscles protested. She eased back down and then onto her side.

It hurt.

Blue had rarely known pain like this before, everything hurt. She chattered low in her throat, a soothing noise she had come up with as a young raptor to soothe hurt feelings when Charlie kept whacking Delta in the head with her tail. It mildly improved her mood, but it was spoiled the second her stomach cramped. She looked down at her belly, hungry?

She must get food.

Automatically her eyes shot skyward, seeking alpha with his clicker. She hissed low in her throat when she saw only the jungle sky above her. She was alpha. She got her own food.

Briefly she wondered if there were more like alpha. Soft squishy bodies that tasted sweet 

_No time to feast! KILL._

With a choking noise the raptor’s head reared back, remembering that seductive voice that made her will bend and break in an instant. She had given everything to that voice, her sisters had had so much fun hunting and killing the squishy ones – but to what end? They did not eat them. It was fun, but it would go bad?

Blue lifted her lips in a snarl. No, she had broken the spell of the white giant when alpha had removed the odd head adornments that had been placed on Blue. She roared in pain as she surged to her feet – unsteady. 

She licked at a forearm and looked at her side to observe the gash marks caused by her conflict with the white giant. She was hungry. She had to eat and food wasn’t going to appear as it once had, with the soft sound of a clicker.

Briefly, she missed the ease of life – mostly when she took any kind of step. The pain was awful, but the more she walked the easier it got. Stretched muscles limbered up and soon she was cruzing through the jungle. Many sounds, sights and smells assaulted her – but one made her jowls water.

She broke out of the foliage into the clearing without fear – she did not know it – and looked around. Huge masses of flesh assaulted her, some torn into with inners strewn across the grassy field. To Blue’s right a large brown shape lifted it’s head, maw covered in gore and blood.  
The T-Rex observed the little raptor, small eyes loosing sight of the raptor almost immediately – but her keen sense of smell knew the small predator was still lurking at the edge of the jungle. 

With a snort and a massive headshake that opened a few of her injuries, the Rex went back to eating the Apatosaurus carcass with obvious delight.

Blue relaxed as the super predator lowered her massive head to the ground. The raptor leveled out and slunk over to the first carcass. Her jaws opened and her head lashed out for a large bite of skin. With an annoyed squawk she let go and peered at her food. Her nose drifted near the carcass of the dead Triceratops and she followed it to an open wound on it’s side. This time when her jaw shot out she sank into the inner red flesh.

A purr like noise erupted from her mouth as the blood touched her tongue. MUCH better than those scrawny not-alpha creatures. Her head popped up at the sound of wind from overhead, she cocked her head to the side and stared at the creature that had alighted on her food. A hiss bubbled up, and before she could tell it to go away several more little monster Dimorphodons peered back at her.

Blue’s head shot back, offended by the sheer number of them. She cawed and then wrestled up an ugly sounding snarl, her big claw pressed lightly into the ground as her counterbalancing tail flicked with agitation.

One of the Dimorphodons ignored the obvious territorial warning and slunk down lower – though usually an insect hunter the smell of the carcasses drying out in the humid heat had drawn them like an unwanted pack of crows. Blue’s snarl increased as the little dinosaur took a hunk out of her prey and swallowed it whole.

Blue refriegned from attacking it and settled for a scare tactic – why risk being injured more than she already was? She trashed her tail and lunged for the little Dimorphodon who let out a shrill squawk and jetted into the air. 

The next thing Blue knew she was being attacked from all sides – she lashed out, claws and talons striking against the intruders who nipped and beat at her with their tiny wings. Blue sank her teeth into one who got too close to her jaws. It didn’t occur to the raptor that she was loosing ground until her tail touched the treeline. She turned back against their annoying assault and they vanished back to their carcass in a matter of seconds.

Blue let out a vicious shriek of fury – how DARE they! A war screech tearing from her throat, she charged forward, vengeance and the need to protect her kill driving her over the edge. She leapt onto the annoyed flyers and this time she meant murder. Her teeth and talons were a blur, grabbing tails and wings – necks where she could get them.

Her fun ended all too soon when the annoying creatures beat a hasty retreat to another carcass far away from hers. She snorted loudly at the as they left. She looked down at her prey and dug her wicked claws into it. This was hers.

She was alpha.

No one was going to take this prey from her.

She bent down and began to fill her aching stomach with the most delicious food she had ever sampled in her life.


	3. Clubtails also grieve

A full stomach later had Blue in a much improved mood. She snorted and pawed at her face, wiping some of the blood away and licking it off her claws. The raptor spent some time grooming himself, checking all of her body parts where working and uninjured. Torn muscles aside, she had a large gash in her tail that had gone unnoticed, a scrape up her side. 

The sound of leathery wings snapped her head back up. Blue eyed the dimorphodons carefully, wary now of their numbers despite their coward nature. One of the little imps had the gall to creep down the massive side of the dead Apatosaurus and squawk at Blue. The raptor let out a screech that sent the flyer back with his buddies who all started to hoot and holler and generally cause a scene.

Blue beat a hasty retreat before the flyers decided to group attack her. She raced back to the cover of the trees to finish her cleaning. She tried to reach back to a spot at the base of her neck that she couldn’t quite reach with fang or claw. With a frustrated hiss, she found a branch to help her out.

Her thoughts sobered as she remembered her packmates, especially sweet Charlie who had always been there for Blue. Though young, Charlie had been like glue to Blue, lifting her head, Blue let out a mournful caw that ended in a trill. Remembering Charlie made her remember the others. She lowered her head, wanting to be lost in instinct again, not this world of thoughts and memories that were triggered in her mind.

A groaning sound pulled her attention from further delving into the past. Her head lifted, claws folded against her chest as she contemplated if she’d ever heard that sound before. It came again, followed by three more of the same ilk. Blue’s natural curiosity got the better of her and she trotted off to investigate what it could be.

It wasn’t long before she found a clearing in the jungle vines and trees, she stumbled over some broken glass and a metal cage. Her jaws parted as she scented the air – more not-alphas, but alpha’s scent was also mixed in, though much fresher. She bent her long snout to the ground and sniffed at the tracks then at the metal clear object. She pushed on it and it cracked – sending the surprised raptor scurrying back. Blue’s tail flicked and she advanced and poked it again, this time not so concerned over the sound of cracking glass.

It brought back a memory of the twinkle of a tube falling on the ground when she had been young. Men in hazy white were screeching at each other until the one in black advanced and had calmed everyone. Blue remembered watching in fascination as he peacefully – without biting or snarling or tail whacking calmed them and they resumed their jobs. Her young mind had started to connect pieces before Echo had jumped on her again and the two had tousled while Delta looked on. 

Blue’s thoughts pulled back as another groan/cry sounded near her. Her head lifted and she advanced boldly towards the noise. She practiced hiding in the dappling of the leaves as she got nearer, focused solely on the curiosity that tempted her. She finally came out into an open jungle with very little foliage to the stink of death. The raptor stopped at the edge of the brush line and cocked her head, unsure of what she was seeing.

A bloated, dead corpse lay on it’s back. Two other dinosaurs who looked similar to the dead – but with heads – howled near it. Blue looked at them with suspicion. They were low to the ground, but still as tall as she was. They had spikes that protected their wide backs and low heads with spikes and jaws that lacked teeth. Her curiosity deepened when she noted that their tails seemed to have large balls on them. She watched them moving through space with a burning desire to touch it.

She slunk low, her head observing the strange object as she stalked towards it. Her focus became narrow so she didn’t notice the other ankylosaurus take notice of her. She certainly didn’t hear the warning noise – but she sure felt it when the tail club of the other ankylosaurus brushed against her shoulder and shocked her into leaping backwards. Her body hurt where it had hit and the raptor hissed at the dinosaur.

So it was a weapon. Blue’s mind was racing trying to absorb this new information. They were also a pack, and one of theirs had been killed – the stench of the area told her it was the white giant – and they grieved for her loss. This touched Blue, the raptor crept forward again, but gave them and their tails wide berth. She bent to sniff at the dead and looked up when she heard the howling turn to angry chatters. She backed up and hissed a warning at them.

It only seemed to make them more agitated. Blue chuffed and backed up, annoyed that they had prevented her curiosity. The brawlers could have their dead then, but it was no use grieving for them! Her mind raced as she remembered her own pack mates. She lifted her own head and let out another mournful trill of loneliness. She didn’t like to be alone.

Her golden eyes tracked back towards the two mournful dinosaurs. She envied them. They still had each other. Despite the unexplained rise in viciousness that bubbled over, Blue left them alone. She had no reason to lash out against them. She left them to grieve. 

Her mind wandered as her body traveled over the jungle, taking thrill in the strength of her muscles and the ease she leapt and ducked under things. Her body was still sore, but the constant and economic movement helped it feel better. She eventually stumbled over a stream and stopped to drink for a few minutes. The water played in her hands, she splashed it lightly. Her head cocked as she saw her reflection, her mind at odds with her instincts again. Herself? A rival? A packmate? She called softly to the reflection of herself, unsurprised when it was silent.

Blue surveyed the water, it was shallow. Too shallow for the deep monster to come get her. Blue repressed a shiver of horror as she remembered how the deep monster had come up and drug the white giant under the surface. 

A helpless caw sounded and she looked back at her reflection. Her maw was still covered in blood stains from her feast earlier. She plunged her muzzle under and rinsed it clean, a habit she had seen alpha do. The sensation was pleasant, but she took a short breath while under and coughed up some water. She stared resentfully at the water before trying again – this time not breathing in.

It was cool against her skin, a sensation she liked given that it was humid and hot all around her. She slunk her entire body to the ground and laid in the soft stream. The pebbles that made up the bed shifted to accommodate her weight and she rolled on her back, itching that indescribable itch she had. The sensation was so good a purr sound back from her mouth and she did it again, this time rolling all the way over. She laid there a while, just enjoying the lazy afternoon and the heat. The sounds of insects buzzing and the far cry of other dinosaurs… and the soft cheep of the birds in the trees all around her soon had the raptor dosing. Her nose propped up on a rock to prevent her from sucking in water again she rested, eyes closed and body calm.

And she dreamed.


	4. Help

_Fire_

_Pain_

A limb twitched, agony swept the body. Jaws parted, panting. Seared lungs drew in oxygen in distress. Skin cracked and tore. Muscles screamed. Her soul ached. Everything ached. Why did it hurt so much? A mind racing to find answers. Hunger, thirst raged in the tortured and burned body.

_Fire_

_Alpha_

_Not-alpha_

_BLUE_

_HELP_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> who said all the raptors truly died? ;) I don't, one IS dead. But we'll bend the cannon a bit.


	5. Water monsters are the absolute worst

A flurry of activity above her head awakened the raptor. Golden eyes snapped open and her head whipped up to look at the flurry of color and anger above her. She sat up, the water chilling on her arm. She tilted her head as the brightly colored creatures crashed against each other. She felt a similarity with their noises – an almost understanding.

She thought about Delta. Delta had always been able to understand the different cheeps, chitters and cries the birds made as they squabbled. Perhaps that was due to her DNA alterations. The raptor recalled something the white coats had told each other as they marveled over the newly hatched raptors. It was a flash, but Delta had always been peculiar. Delta always hung back and waited to attack – but it was deadly and with precision when she did. 

It had always angered Blue that Delta hung back, her own instinct told her to charge in and shred so this alternative style of attack was disturbing and irritating to Blue. But she had learned the usefulness of such a wait and strike assault. She and the others had tried to emulate her style, but they were just not as good at freezing so perfectly and watching. Delta also had the best eyesight of the group, so Blue had relied on her to keep a good lookout. 

Enough time in the water, the raptor got up and shook herself off. Water splattered all around her and she scratched at her shoulder, wincing as the bruise under her skin screamed. She turned and gave it a lick. She would live, but it would be sore. 

Her stomach cramped again, it appeared her run through the jungle made her hungry. She wasn’t used to being hungry at this time, but there was no denying what her stomach was telling her. Blue barely resisted the urge to lift her eyes skyward for alpha and his soft clicking. She shook her snout viciously, reminding herself once again that she was alpha now. 

She stretched out completely and set off south at a steady trot – perhaps she would stumble across another dead animal. Her mouth opened and she scented the air, many new scents were tasted on the air. She closed and swallowed, perhaps one of those new scents was prey she could hunt. Eat. She stalked off, her long legs effortlessly traversing the dense jungle. She was familiar with the sounds of the birds, but when a new noise was heard she slowed to a stop. Blue tilted her head and peaked out from the bushes, careful to not make a sound. Her mouth opened and she scented prey.

The little microcetratus were busy munching on the twigs and brush in the surrounding area. They were mindless in their food, with little squabbling. She watched in curiosity, they had the same no-jaw faces like the clubtails she had seen before. Did that mean the club tails also ate plants? Blue was offended at the thought of eating twigs. 

She stepped out of the jungle to observe the dinosaurs more closely. They looked up at her and gave soft calls, but most continued eating. Blue pondered this, the pig and other food she and her sisters had eaten had always run in fear – why did they not fear her? Perhaps they had never been hunted and knew no such fear? Blue thought for a moment before walking closer to the small dinosaurs. She bent to sniff at one who squawked indigently and started to move off, it jerked away and instinct took over – Blue’s fangs lashed out and sank into the flank of the microceratus. The squawk went from an annoyance cry to a scream of pain and fear. The other dinosaurs quickly closed flank and bolted, cowing loudly in fear and anger. The one in Blue’s teeth struggled violently enough that her claws flashed out and she sank them into the side of the struggling dinosaur. She let go with her mouth and snapped down on it’s neck, which usually worked for the pig she and her packmates would catch but it seemed to only irritate and terrify the dinosaur more. Blue winced as the creature threw back it’s head and slammed it’s protective headpiece into her snout. She snarled and bit deeper, blood pooling around her fangs as her front claws dug in.

The others grew more bold and crept towards her, then they charged. Blue snarled and lashed out with her foot to keep them away. My prey! Her instincts screamed at them. She let out a vicious snarl and with a savage jerk she felt the bones in her prey’s neck snap and the body went limp. Blue darted off with her prey, jealously guarding it from them should they have followed. 

When she was a short distance away and near a flowing river she sank down with her prey and began eating. She took delight in the crunch of the bones that stood no chance against her powerful jaws. She liked the blood from her forearms and dove into the stomach, savoring every snap of meat she ate. When Blue was more than halfway done she stopped her ravenous feasting and began to take in her surroundings. Despite the peacefulness of the river by her side she didn’t trust being too near the bank. Memories of the water monster haunted her.

So when the water erupted suddenly from the bottom of the riverbed, Blue screeched and leapt back as far as her body could. She let out a warning bark and froze. The creature that rose from the water did not look like the horror she had seen. In fact, it looked to be about her size. With a really long snout. Blue’s curiosity took hold viciously and she crept closer to the river bank.

The monster who arose from the bank and little interest in Blue or her prey (which Blue found herself standing over protectively). Blue chirped softly in question at the creature with it’s golden back turned to her. Her mouth opened as she scented. It smelled female and like oil. She wrinkled her upper lip. A caw sounded from her mouth – what are you?

The creature turned it’s long head towards Blue, amber eyes were calm and uncaring. It’s mouth opened up in a large yawn revealing an impressive array of fangs. Blue gulped and took a step back. She barked at it, and tilted her head when the Baryonyx ignored her still. It’s large body froze and it looked at the water. Blue watched it with another burst of growing curiosity. What was it doing? Were there more?

She jumped with a surprised and undignified squawk when the beats suddenly lunged forward and rose from the water with a silver wriggling creature struggling in it’s powerful jaws. Blue was at the edge of the river and watched the monster throw back it’s head and swallow the silvery slippery creature. Blue snorted and looked at the water the creature seemed so much at home with.

A coughing growl noise alerted her that her presence near the water bank was not appreciated. Blue’s head snapped up and she hissed at the baryonyx who snarled back and lunged for her. Blue’s nimble form danced away and she raced down the bank. When she was far enough around the bend that she lost sight of the river monster Blue slowed down. She let out a big heave of air and then snorted. She turned back and set out a burst of chatter in the direction of the monster. Feeling self pride, the raptor turned and looked back at the river. She wanted a little bit of water but the new found dangers in the lake prevented her from walking over to the water and taking a big drink.

She was edgy about it, but finally slunk near enough to get water. It tasted sweet. Before her eyes a silver form shifted near enough for her claws to flash out. She latched on, but it was slippery enough that she lost her grip. Blue huffed angrily at it and tracked it’s progress until it vanished in to the depths.

Blue wasn’t about to go chasing after it so she slunk off, with one last wistful glance and continued her progress south.

Behind her, a far larger crocodilian head poked out of the water and tracked the progress of the raptor’s retreating back. Small amber eyes that blended into the golden lines that looked like sunlight narrowed and she fell back below the surface. As long as what-ever-that-was didn’t disturb her fish or the prey near the river, the Suchomimus wouldn’t bother it.

With a loud snort that gave the raptor a second of pause so many yards ahead, the large blue carnivore vanished back under the surface of the water.


	6. lost

A soft noise and the sliding of metal on concrete brought awareness back to the raptor. She cheeped softly, her bones aching in her arm and tail. Her leg felt like it was on fire. Her skin stretched and she wanted to shriek because it hurt so badly. 

It was all so painful.

Where was Blue?

Her head lifted a fraction, but the pain brought it back down. Puncture holes in her hide stung. She flailed weakly when insects landed on her torn flesh. She remembered bits and pieces of what had happened.

Orders, it had always come to orders.

But at the end it was to protect. To destroy the monstrosity. From her vantage point she could see chaos had occurred. The ground was torn and shredded, the fencing near the water was demolished. What had happened?

Where was Blue? Echo?

Her hot body chilled as the first drip of rain fell onto her sore wounds, she struggled and pulled herself under a table, barely protected from the rain. Her tongue flicked out, grabbing nourishing droplets that fell. It did nothing to quench her thirst.

A sound had her on edge, it came from behind walls – not alphas? Had they come?

She had tasted freedom, and she was never going to go back.

Where was Blue?


	7. Bigger water monsters are insane

Blue continued down the river’s course. She kept a careful eye out for the golden river monster and cawed softly. A lonesome cry, it tore from her lips. She reared high up – perhaps someone had survived? Alpha could be here. Blue had not seen another not-alpha since that night. She had smelled traces of them of course, and seen their stone work – her head craned back. Blue watched the giant stone work that twisted and disappear above her head. 

It baffled her, so high up. Was it related to those flyers? Did they live there? She couldn’t imagine them resting on it, looked uncomfortable. She huffed softly before drinking more from the river. She was still hungry, but sated for now. She trotted easily by the river side, pausing to watch the beak creatures – in awe, she watched one of the long neck eating near the river.

Her mouth watered as she imagined the taste of the dead carcass she had eaten. However, the sheer size of the prey made her swallow past the hollow sensation in her stomach. Her attention was pulled to the river, a bubbling at the surface. One of those silvery creatures? Blue turned towards it. Perhaps the river monster had followed her.

Blue took a few steps back, away from the edge of the river. The bubbles disturbed her. A creeping sensation slithered up her spine, what was it? Excitement? Hunger?

Her claws shivered – no, shook. Her tail lashed and she cawed defensively. The bubbles stopped, but the sensation at the base of her skull persisted though the long necks seemed to not mind. They drank with abandon at the river’s edge. She kept creeping backwards, her head lowering in defense. What bothered her? What was this feeling?

Fear was a foreign sensation to the raptor. She had only felt it once, as the giant water monster rose up and struck the white giant. Blue’s hackles rose along the base of her neck. Her pupils dilated as she took in all of her surroundings.

With a sudden explosion at the waterfront, the roar of the Apatosaurus, Blue screeched violently. She leapt backwards once more as a navy blue and golden shape with the longest snout Blue had ever seen roared out of the water and snapped at the necks of the long necks.

The creature roared and fastened it’s long fangs on one of the necks, blood rained down. Blue’s pupils constricted as she watched, her claws twitching and her tail lashing against the trees as she watched the super predator. She cawed as the bones in the long neck’s body snapped and twisted with the force as the blue and gold monster fell back into the water – the now dead corpse fell with grace into the water as the creature advanced to the banks.

Blue stared in horror, her mind barely comprehending that there was another monster the size of the white giant. She cawed helplessly and cowered as the long snouted creature turned her head towards Blue. The raptor hissed, puffing up, but the towering creature was across the river and four times the size of velociraptor. It huffed and paid her no mind, returning it’s attention to the meal at hand.

The raptor watched in fascination – such a large killer. Such large prey. It could hunt alone. Blue thought of her lost prey with a forlorn attitude. She wished she had eaten more of it instead of running when she had been surprised by the golden river monster. She watched across the river as the giant river monster ripped flesh effortlessly. Blue’s stomach rumbled and she chirped before turning. She figured since the monster was eating, she could catch her own without fear.

Her sudden motion caused the Suchomimus to remember the little carnivore. It whipped around and roared at Blue, a snout full of sharp fangs.

Blue didn’t need a second warning to beat a hasty retreat – what could would it do for her to stand her ground? She did turn back and snarl at the monster who turned towards her and roared in outrage, she bolted.

She didn’t know how long she ran for, but she ran. Blue stumbled over a log, her big claw hooked and she skidded to the ground. Frustrated she snarled viciously at the offending log – how DARE it – before her open mouth detected the scent of burnt and decayed flesh. Blue’s attention instantly diverted to the scents, they floated into her mind. She recalled this place.

It all came back in a rush.

The thrill. The Chase.

The scent of the white giant in her nares as she raced through the jungle. She was flanked by her packsisters, alpha directed them in the middle. She loved for this moment, this perfect hunt. It was a game she and her sisters excelled at. Though alpha being with them threw her – she was used to leading – it seemed so natural to just hand over command to alpha. 

He was calming, peaceful.

It warred with her chaotic nature. Her need to kill, the urge to be mindless. A raptor. A dinosaur.

But a quiet spoke to her mind as she raced next to alpha, her eyes watched him. He didn’t win with domination as she had with Echo so long ago, he won with quiet and firmness. Her mind split, her body running on her nose’s trail but her mind furiously worked out the puzzle. Then they had found her.

The white giant.

She had been hiding, but nothing could hide from Blue’s nose or Delta’s eyes. They screeched and hollered at her to come out, Blue had felt alpha’s approval as he and the not-alphas backed up. Blue was about to turn towards him when the white giant stepped out and made that sound.

_Come to me._

It had been irresistible and spoke to Blue on an instinctive level. It was her language. The speech her sisters all spoke – granted, more deep and slightly malformed – but it was her language. Blue had stared in shock, and then her mind had shut off.

Instinct had taken over, she and her sisters had turned on alpha and his group of not-alphas. She had been intent on murdering every single one of them at the command of the white giant. It’s seductive voice roaring, her internal wild instincts rising and crying with fierce joy.

Blue had enjoyed the ease of the hunt, until one had hidden in a log from her. She had snarled and snapped – a voice speaking a word over and over and over. She didn’t care, hadn’t cared. But when she was nearly into the log, her claws seconds away from that flesh her mind had cleared.

“BLUE!”

Her head froze. Blue? Her name. She had a name. A NAME. That jolted her from the mindless instincts that had ruled her other created kin. She looked down in the hole at a familiar face. It was Barry – another who had raised her and sung songs to her while she bore through their endless tests. Her attention was ripped away by the roaring of the creature her alpha rode.

A whistle. A command.

_Hunt._

Instinct took over again and she roared after the monster alpha rode. She hunted again, her steps catching up with the bike now that she was on even turf – Blue snarled and headed towards not-alpha alpha and hunted. She closed in, her claws reaching out.

_RETURN!!_

A command in her ear she could not refuse. She pulled up with a shriek and changed directions on a dime, nearly crashing into Delta who was only saved by her fast bird instincts. Blue snarled at her and they vanished into the brush.

With a headshake, the raptor brought herself back to the present. Despite having enjoyed the thrill of the hunt and chase… her mind was present. She enjoyed the thoughts she had, and the memories. It was all she had of her packmates and alpha was her memories. A trill echoed out of her mouth. She was so lonely.

The stench of burnt flesh was all around her, she felt sick. The raptor laid down, her nose pressed to the ground. Here the scent of alpha was greatest, he had lain here before they had turned on him. Blue’s voice trilled again and it ended in a bark. She missed her sisters, her primary needs had taken up most of Blue’s time. The thirst for adventure the rest… but in this place of betrayal all she felt was loneliness. No raptor was supposed to be alone.

Blue’s head cranked back, she cried loudly to the sky.


	8. hunting in earnest

Blue quickly stopped, while it was in her mind to grieve but her instincts told her to move on. The smell of death and destruction disturbed her. Especially since one spot had the distinct smell of burnt flesh, and Charlie.

Her feet carried her back towards the river – it was a lifesource and she didn’t like to be far from it, no matter how scary the giant river monster was. Blue took several quick laps of water with her tongue, not bothering to look at the silvery creatures in the water. She moved several yards from the bank lest the bubble monster came back. Blue was doubtful, given that she could smell the stench of the dead dinosaur upwind of her.

Still. Why take risks?

Her stomach rumbled violently. The raptor’s mind instantly changed from thoughts to hunting. Her mouth opened, scents flooded her. She traced the scent of a herd of those small dinosaurs again. Remembering what easy prey they had been, Blue stalked towards them. They should be easy.

Blue found them, she followed her previous pattern and walked straight out when she encountered them – they scattered with frantic cries. Blue hissed in frustration, why did they run? She was faster, more cunning. She bolted after them, but in just a few minutes of not catching anything, she became more frustrated by their agile bodies. Especially their ability to hide in small spaces. She screeched loudly in anger, why was this hard!

Her mind raced, she had to be sneakier. What had Delta done? Stalked? Waited? Perched? Blue fidgeted. She was hungry now. Patience was a far cry for her right now. She sunk back into the undergrowth, her senses heightened. She scented, being careful of her steps now…. Just like playing the games with her siblings.

Head low to the ground, she crept along. This time when she found the herd, she observed. Her stomach growled at her, but she ignored it. Her focus on her brightly colored prey.

She noticed things this time, several of the microceratus were not eating with the others but watching. Blue’s interest perked. She waited, still watching, creeping closer to one of the individuals. Her big claws dug into the ground, mirroring her impatience. Suddenly she lunged.

Blue was a lightning strike of fury and hunger as she fell upon the individual. It screeched at her and swung it’s broad head at her, Blue cried out when it whacked her in the jaw. A snarl rippled through her as she pounced with her talons instead of her mouth and claws. On instinct the large claw she had never used for anything struck into the flesh and dug.

Her claws grasped the tiny dinosaur’s face and they went tumbling. Blue struck with claw and fang, but she couldn’t score the killing blow to the creature as they struggled. Her wicked claws refused to give in and they rolled over end.

Blue’s fangs latched onto an arm and bit down, the blood was so sweet in her mouth she nearly let go to lick herself. Her predator mind willed her to hold on. Her talons released and kicked at the belly of her prey. Eventually the struggles became more and more weak until with a shuddering sigh the dinosaur succumbed to it’s wounds and died.

Blue’s grip released when she was sure it no longer lived. Without much of a second though, her claws slashed open the abdomen and her long snout finished the rest of the dinosaur in several snaps and rips. Her body demanded the food with a vicious need. 

Eventually the hunger was sated. Her fully belly and the warm sun made her long for the river and the warm nap she had enjoyed. Blue headed back towards her river, still moving south a need driving her. One she didn’t quite understand. Her steps got heavy as she came to the riverside. A patch of sunlight in the foliage became far too inviting for the single carnivore, she curled up. Nose to tail she lay for a moment, fully relaxed she stretched out a few minutes later. Her body twisting into comfort amoungst the leaf litter. She missed the feel of bodies pressed against her, warming her and comforting her.

Blue escaped to her dreams where she ran with her packmates again.

Choosing not to disturb the sleeping micropredator, suchomimus sank back below the water’s surface. She was still full from her feast earlier and would be full for many days. She too enjoyed the warm sunlight and dozed off, eyelids closed as she floated in the deepest portion of her river home.


	9. Disabled

_For her, I used the Pompii Worm, we’re trying to use the incredible thermodynamic ability they demonstrate to survive temperatures of 172F. Then, to test regeneration abilities to recover from wounds I isolated the gene from salamanders in case she should get injured. I have a feeling this raptor is going to be quite interesting to study._

She recalled the voices of her childhood, but not well. Bits and pieces. How was she alive? The white giant had thrown her into the flames – the FLAMES.

It still hurt to move, but her skin had patched and the dead flakes had sloughed off. Her side ached when it moved, her new skin wasn’t as stretchy as her old. Perhaps that was her fault it did not have elasticity, but it hurt to move.

At least breathing didn’t hurt nearly as much now. 

Her head lifted, her vision was blurred but she could see. Her eyelid covered and blight filtered in. A hiss of irritation passed through a sneer. The raptor heaved herself onto her chest, biting back a caw of pain as she did so. Burnt flesh tore and flaked off. New flesh screamed at the movement.

Echo snarled and lashed out, despite the pain. Her limbs kicked out, the pain let the raptor know she was alive. She wasn’t sure how, given the flames and how hard she had landed. But Echo didn’t care, she was ALIVE.

Her caw hit the air, it sounded so hoarse and it ripped from her burnt and smoked trachea as it rang in the air.

Hunger. Thirst.

These were the first times on her mind. Thirst being the first. The raptor knew she had to have water, and soon. Her body was so dehydrated her vision swam. Her head ached from the lack of water and the sudden change in her vision. The blur from her right eye threw off her perception. Her arm lashed out, scrabbling for the ground. 

She lurched up, it hurt to move but that pain motivated her. Her tail lashed, it was easier to bend to the left than the right. She turned her head and surveyed her body.

What was once unmarred green mottled skin was now scarred. Pink flesh lined her body, it covered her arm, hip, parts of her spine, tail all the way up her neck to her face.

Echo’s blood boiled. That white giant had thrown her, she would have revenge! The first step was awful, the second was horrible. Three was bearable, and by the fourth her emotions were so viciously in control she didn’t feel anything other than the thirst for blood and revenge.

She stepped out of the enclosure, eyes blinking and in pain she growled at the sunlight. It hurt and her pupils constricted as much as they could. Her right vision was horrible, the raptor had to keep turning her head back and forth to see all around her.

She tilted her head back and let out a hoarse help call. She barked as loud as she could, calling to her sisters. Surely someone would find her.

An answering cry met her calls from nearby. Echo’s head snapped down and her good eye narrowed. With a click of her talons she walked towards the answering cry.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I struggled a lot with my choices for Echo. Since I have no information to go off other than she has a sneer I had to make up something that could work for her to survive. In my opinion, no way could Echo had been incinerated in an instant. So I picked something that was very thermo-tolerant (obviously nothing can live in fire), and the ability to regenerate faster and actually heal from horrific wounds (up to regrowth of a limb). 
> 
> She will likely regain some better use of her damaged eye as she heals and regenerates, but she will not have full 100% (probably 85%) vision back.
> 
> Let me know what you guys think - did I make a good choice? What would you have picked?


	10. Disabled Reunion

Eyes opened at the sound at the cawing. Echo? Delta’s pupils snapped open, her breathing was easier. It hurt, but it felt like just muscular pain now. The raptor pulled her head up, a hiss snuck out her lips. Her brown body pulled off the ground, she had to get up. Delta pulled herself out from under the table and felt the warm sunlight on her green hide. She paused and enjoyed it a moment before her eyes caught sight of Echo – was it Echo?

She hissed in uncertainty at the sight of the monster before her. She walked funny, and her body looked mangled, but she was standing. Delta limbed towards her, holding her snout low and forward.

Echo surveyed Delta – she felt the trepidation radiating from Delta and chipped softly. Did Delta not recognize her? Echo’s mind recalled the massive burns to her body, a sad trill escaped from her sneer. No wonder. Her right foot drug behind her slightly as she headed towards Delta. Though Delta was limping, she seemed sound in body.

When they were in a few feet of each other, they stopped. Delta took in the horror that was Echo’s burned body. She squawked in surprised and poked lightly at the new flesh. Echo reacted violently, cawing and snapping at Delta’s neck, warning her not to do it again.

Delta’s head lowered and she hissed softly, her arms splayed. Defensive. She hadn’t meant to hurt Echo. When Delta felt Echo relax she lifted her head swiftly and then leapt backwards with an angry trill growl as Echo snapped at her. Echo’s head wildly swung so her other eye could see her. Delta tilted her head.

Could she see from her right side? Delta walked back to Echo who nuzzled her in apology. Delta lifted her head near Echo’s scarred eye – white from the flames and melted in appearance. This time she moved more slowly, and gave a soft coo noise as she did it. Echo remained relaxed and quiet, not surprised. 

The raptors enjoyed being together again, alone they had been fighting off anxiety and pain. Together they mended.

Stomachs rumbling, the raptors sniffed for food. Perhaps alpha would serve them? Was Blue here? No. They were alone.

Delta tilted back her head – and a twinge ripped through her, that she did her best to ignore – and let out another barrage of help cries. Calling for alpha, calling for Blue. Calling for Charlie. Anyone.

No one answered. Perhaps they were alone.

Memories took the two raptors, of the night everything changed. One was merely interested in the events, feeling no personal connection. The other was left with a feeling of anguish and rage. Their hunger interrupted their various moods.

Nares opened again, nothing smelled like food. Delta limped over to the restaurant where Echo had gone though the window, sniffing at something. She leapt when Echo screeched in terror at her to get away! Get away! Delta sprang back, a cawed question. Echo trembled, remembering the fire.

A keen trill broke the air and she backed away from the building. Delta rushed to her side, careful to be on the left where Echo could see her. Delta chirped that she would stay away.

The stoic raptor turned to look around, her keen eyes and sharp nose spotting dead animals. Though not appealing since they had been out in the hot sun, it was food and neither of them could pass that up right this minute. Delta nudged Echo and asked permission to go to the food.

Echo tilted her head, unused to being asked for such a request. Blue was the beta, Echo had lost that bid long ago. Delta persisted in asking, Echo snapped at her. She wasn’t alpha! Was she? Echo’s mind whirled beyond the pain of remolded flesh and she hesitated. Blue was not here, perhaps dead, perhaps elsewhere…. Alpha was certainly not here. Did that make her alpha? 

Her thirst for leadership gave her the answer. She trilled at Delta to bring back some food. When the raptor floated off, limping less than before, Echo began to follow her. She put her thoughts aside when Delta brought back the first dead dimorphodon and feasted. The food stung going down, but it was better than nothing. The raptor’s hunger ignited and she tore into the small slowly rotting carcass.

When it was gone, Echo found her mood and body improved. She was thirsty, and that thirst had gotten worse, blood was very salty after all. The raptor limped towards the waters edge. She sniffed and gave it a lick and reared back in disgust. More salt. She chirrped at Delta to see if the brown raptor had found any water. Delta cawed back that were was none so far. Echo snorted loudly.

They would have to find some. Echo called Delta to her side and they set off, slowly, to find some water.


	11. Central Plaza

Cawing. Pack. Friends. Family.  
Delta, Echo, Charlie.

The feel of Charlie sleeping on her tail, Delta at her back and Echo being her pillow. It had been hard for Blue to stay asleep when she missed her normal routine. She was lonely and that was beginning to eat at her in ways she hadn’t anticipated – or had even known could have existed. Blue had never been alone before now.

The hunting and exploring had dumbed down a lot of her anxiety, but when she was trying to sleep or relax to save her strength it weighed down on her. She felt her energy drain away, but sleep eluded her. She missed Charlie’s wheezing snore, and the way Delta’s head twitched and how she used to whistle her in sleep sometimes like a little songbird.

Blue shook her head, fighting back a cry so close to the river’s edge. It could be dangerous, what if the giant river monster was there? She didn’t want to sound weak and attract it. The exhausted raptor gained her feet and went to the edge of the river to drink. Her senses were alive trying to sense if the megapredator was in the water. Blue backed away as soon as she got her good drink to her safezone near the trees. 

She kept on her track down the winding river, her stomach fully and body finally mended. She felt good, powerful. A leaf fell from the tree above and she pounced on it, enjoying the roll of muscles as she did so. She trotted along at a brisk speed, head twitching and eyes watching everything that she could. She past many large herbivores as she ran, all far to big for her to tangle with for food. A few new ones, with weird heads, others with protrusions from their faces. It seemed everyone gathered at the water to drink.

Blue sampled the water herself many times, always wary of the danger that lurked there. Soon she came to a stretch of the river that no longer was covered by trees. She strode out boldly, the river monsters couldn’t find here here and she had plenty of open space to run if it sought after her (not that it would, the raptor was a passing thought in both the baryonyx and the suchomimus’s minds). Blue cawed confidently as she followed the straightaway towards yet another of the large stone structures.

She stretched out in the plain, going faster and faster as she did so. She reveled in the power of her body, the way she could make quick turns, how far she could leap. It distracted her for a while until she came to a pillar connected to the concrete structure.

She sniffed it thoroughly, perhaps alpha was here. Or more not-alphas who could find alpha. The small river turned into a large lake which Blue drank from gleefully, the water was slightly brackish but tasted fine. She lay in the sunlight and dozed for a little, cloud shadows racing all around her, some faster than others. The quiet of the plains wasn’t broken by anything as the raptor dozed. 

The sleeping raptor missed the fact that the shadows doubled. Tripled. They took on more defined shapes. Huge shadows raced over the ground.

Her eyes cracked when a clacking erupted above her. Curious, because it didn’t sound like a bird, Blue lifted her head slowly. Then swiftly.

Then she jumped to her feet and squawked in surprise.

She had thought she knew what flyers looked like. The little tiny cowards in groups.

These were absolutely not little. They were HUGE. They blocked out the sun, they flew, and they seemed very agitated about her sleeping there. Blue hissed at them, her tail lashing, trying to cover her terror at the enormous size of the dinosaurs.

The pteradons were not impressed, they had taken up residence on the cliffs by the sea a few minutes flight from here. Having a predator nearby after the assault by the big white giant was not something they wanted to repeat. Anything was force away from their territory. They started to scream above her, lowering their altitude until Blue could see the red of their helmeted faces and the amber orange of their eyes. 

She snarled, not sure how to react since they were several feet in the air above her. One swooped down, near enough that she was buffeted by the wind it created. She snapped at it, forced several feet back by it’s maneuver. She trilled angrily and pounced at the next one. A peck on her tail warned her to keep an eye on her six. 

The raptor wisely turned and fled as fast as she could away from the water. The further she ran the less she was pursued by the giant flyers. They lazily began to drift up towards the clouds and circled back to their nests where they could digest the fish they had caught off the coast. Pteradons were normally peaceful, the events that had happened at the visitors center had been a produce of fear. They normally didn’t care about the pink non-flyers. 

Blue kept running until she was sure that the monsters were no longer following her. It seemed she had a lot to learn about this world she was in. It was far bigger than she had imagined, and more full of dangers. A part of her hungered for more, and the other thirsted for the safety and routine of her paddock with her sisters. 

It was an internal war that took up most of her attention. She didn’t notice where she was until her claws hit concrete instead of grass. The raptor pulled up in confusion. She strode forwards, her body on high alert. It reminded her of the place they had battled. Where she had lost her packmates.

Where the giant of all giant water monsters lived. Blue froze as she finally recognized the large body of water before her. It was vast and seemed unending (but if she really focused she could see buildings on the other side), which frightened the raptor. Her wicked claws clicked on the ground in agitation as she stayed as far from the waterside as she could. 

She tracked around the edge of the water – several feet back, near to the buildings. She didn’t want anything to do with the water, or this place. But it was the last area she had seen her packmates and alpha. Perhaps she would find them again here? 

Blue could only hope.


	12. Missed opportunities

Her searching had ended with several delectable, mostly meat products, though the raptor had sampled a lot, some were overpoweringly sweet and the raptor spat them out almost immediately. She had thoroughly searched everything on the south side of the boulevard and not found a single thing.

She headed more and more north, cawing occasionally under her breath (so she didn’t attract the attention of the monstrosity that lurked under the water. Blue learned about water fountains, having found the silver button irresistible to press with her snout – the drinkable water that came out was a massive surprise to the dinosaur, and she relished in it. 

High noon came and Blue was starting to feel the strain of her loneliness. Everything was so alien, it became such that when she found something new she ignored it, bored already with things she didn’t even know about.

Chaos was everywhere. Blue smelled flyers and not-alphas all around her, but the smells were old. Days, a week old perhaps. There was a lot of blood smell in the air. Blue opened her mouth, letting the tang of the dried blood wash over her mouth. So many other scents mixed with it, Blue wasn’t sure what to make of anything anymore.

Her apparent ease into this foreign land started and ended with the comforting smell of alpha. Though it wasn’t specifically his scent ( it was the non-alphas general scent) that had her focused. A few times she watched the waves of the giant lake heave and roll. The raptor always squawked and hid in the nearest building when this happened, fear making her quiver.

A few times on the other side of the lake, she saw the giant creature breach the water near the bleachers. A shiver of horror passed from the snout to the very tips of her tail whenever she saw the monster rise up and scream.

The further the raptor went, the more things began to look familiar. The scents were all there, the burning, the wreckage. Scents flooded Blue’s mouth, the white giant, the red queen. Her siblings. Blue’s mind reeled as she remembering fighting alongside them for the last time, the battle with the two giants. The red queen owed her a debt – a concept Blue vaguely understood from listening to the dark not-alpha and alpha – for distracting the white giant as she was about to rip into the red queen.

Blue’s mind was fuzzy, remembering the need to protect. The surprise of flinging through space, she had distantly heard her packmates calling out and the roar of the white giant. Blue shook her head, remembering coming to and seeing her alpha in danger. She knew what she had to do, he was her alpha.

She would lay down her life. 

In the heat of the moment, she hadn’t questioned where her sisters had gone, she was single minded in her need to protect him and those he protected. The red queen had just been another element in the fight – a more effective one than Blue’s packmates had been. A fact that had rubbed at Blue just a little during the fight, she may have dug her claws into the red queen a little harder than she had needed to as she was jumping back and forth.

Blue’s mind reversed the sequence of events as she walked beyond the broken fencing and rumble that used to be buildings. It looked different, less intense in the light of the sun. Blue’s mouth was parted and scents flooded her.

Alpha. Not-alpha, a female. Two young not-alphas, one she remembered as she was being geared up and touched by all those strangers. He had seemed honestly curious. She had wanted to chase him.

White giant.

Red queen.

Echo. Delta. Blue had no idea what had happened to Charlie but the burnt smell near the spot of corruption had her heart twinge in worry. Charlie was too young, too sweet to fend for herself. She looked up to Blue so much. Blue was so focused on 

A thought crossed Blues mind as she walked back to where she had made her stand... the scents of her sisters seemed fresh. Curious, Blue investigated more carefully, she found the spot where Delta landed. The scent of the green raptors blood was all over the floor but it was well dried.

She tracked the smell until it met with one she associated with Echo. But the smell was acidic, burnt. It strongly reminded Blue of the scent she had picked up where Charlie had been. She peeled back her lips, the scent had moved so clearly Echo was alive. 

Blue's heart leapt. ALIVE! Her pack mates were out there! Now Blue regretted leaving them, but she had been calling out, searching. From the pooling of scents, they had laid there for a while, long after Blue would have left.

She found where Echo had hit, the smell of burnt flesh repulsed Blue. The raptor spotted the broken table and the heavy smell of burnt fatty oil everywhere. Blue turned, what had happened to her packmates? The scents that left told Blue that they had left together, several hours ago. The raptor hissed softly, and then reared up to her full height, cawing like mad. 

_Find me. Find me. I’m here. Find me! Where are you!!!!!!!_

Her cries fell on deaf ears.


	13. Damaged

Blue’s cries went unanswered because Echo and Delta had moved far off. They made good time despite the problems Echo had walking right, everytime she tried to angle down and really stretch out, the new skin caught her up. Echo hated it. She hated how her body was now, she wanted to lash out and kill something.

She wanted to give into the remnant of the white giant’s seductive voice. The allure of strength and the urge to give into her instincts, it all had felt so real. So ALIVE! No longer had she listened to Blue (who wasn’t all that bad, if Echo had to be honest), or alpha (who also had been good, she had always eaten before Blue which was a plus).

Echo was enjoying the attention that Delta was paying to her, the raptor doted on her with obvious affection. The blue and gold stripped scarred raptor’s stomach rumbled, the dead creatures they had eaten at the warf had gone away as soon as they had been eaten – that was how badly their bodies craved nutrients. 

She croaked at Delta her hunger and the green raptor cheeped back. She darted off into the brush, pausing when she noticed that Echo wasn’t following. The raptor let out a frustrated caw and flicked her head back and forth. The vision was very hard to get used to.

Delta walked back and nuzzled under Echo’s left side. The green raptor snorted and darted off again, she let out a stay bark and vanished. Echo squawked in frustration. Her hide itched. She wanted to claw it off.

USELESS!!

Echo keened quietly, rocking herself back and forth as she slunk to the ground. It had been a calming position as a young raptor, before she had been introduced to Blue. She snorted softly, missing the soft noise Blue always made for them when they were all babies or if they were someone new. Blue had looked after them, all of them. Echo’s mind raced with new thoughts, her resentment of Blue lessened. She began to see the difference between them as a strength and not Blue’s weakness.

It rocked Echo’s world.

She would have continued down that line of thought if Delta hadn’t popped out of the bush nearby and scared Echo into a barking fest. Delta paused, mouth full of microcetatus and one in her claws for Echo. She tilted her head, unable to make a comforting sound. She walked closer to Echo who snorted and sniffed cautiously. 

Delta laid the one microceratus down on the ground and nudged it over to Echo. The mottled raptor bent her nose and sniffed at the curious prey. Not one she was familiar with, but it smelled mouthwateringly good. She uttered a soft hiss and dug into it, noticing that Delta only took bites after she had.

The both enjoyed their meals in the bone crunching quiet.

And it was in that quiet that they heard Blue’s call echo on the wind.


	14. Reunion

Blue’s mouth hung open as she scented the air, looking for her siblings. The more she followed the scent the stronger it got. She cried out at the sight of prey, she inspected the skeletons – picked clean by both Echo, Delta and the dimorphodons. She snipped at a few scraps, but left the bones to bleach in the mottled sunlight.

Blue’s speed increased, soon. So soon. They were near here. She broke into an open valley and bolted, following the windblown scent. Nothing could shake her once Blue caught wind of it. Her body leveled out and she reached top speed. She barked loudly, calling her packmates to her. She kept barking, head jerked around trying to see them. 

THERE!

Blue’s body was heaving, it couldn’t tolerate the excited pace she had set, muscles that had only recently mended were in agony but the raptor didn’t care. Her need to be with her siblings overrode any pain her body could dish out. Finally, she heard it.

Delta.

That cheep bark noise could only be here, Blue’s cries intensified, she couldn’t see them yet. But their scent was overpowering in front of her. She was so blind in her need to see them she didn’t see the river until it was nearly too late. Blue’s golden eyes spotted the water three lengths to the shore (more specifically, when the ground underfoot turned from soft grass to pebbles. She skidded to a halt, her heart in her mouth as she looked at the water.

Fear gripped her and she backed up violently away from the watery surface. She saw the footprints and looked across the 12 foot river to see Delta and – Echo? Blue squeaked in concerned, her once beautifully motled sister bore a weird looking eye and pink flesh that looked cracked and angry. Both were wet, having just finished crossing the river. The current had been strong and it had taken most of Echo’s strength to move her tired body across.

Delta had taken too it like a bird to water, she had flipped and played while they crossed. Both looked in surprise as Blue had bound like a black and blue bullet towards them. She seemed to gleam and absorb the sunlight as she ran towards them. Delta barked back and Echo joined in, glad to see her (even if Echo wasn’t entirely a big fan). 

They called for Blue to join them. But to their further surprise, Blue skidded to a stop and backed away from the edge. Being downwind they smelled a scent only the not-alphas had reeked of.

Fear.

Echo chirped a question, Blue looked frustrated and cawed for them to return to her. Delta leapt to her feet and darted into the water – only to hear Blue screech at her to get out. The raptor chimed, confused and backed out of the water. Echo remained where she was laid down, far too tired to think about getting up. 

Blue paced the river, her fear-scent only got heavier as she did so. She kept looking between then and the river, there was a sheen on her skin that hadn’t been there before – or that Delta had ever seen. She doubt that Echo could see it, what with her compromised eye and the fact that no one seemed to have vision as good as Delta did.

Delta cawed again and made to go into the river, Blue screamed at her once more and Delta sprang back like the water had bitten her. The navy striped raptor hissed at the river and barked at Delta to stay away from it. Delta trilled back – why? Water was fun! She flicked her tail back and forth in amusement, it stopped when she realized just how much it tortured Blue.

Echo distantly wanted, her good eye focused on Blue – why was she scared? Had their time apart made her a poor leader? Fearful? Why was she acting like a not-alpha over this? Echo bark a long string with trills, berating Blue for her cowardess.

That did it.

Blue hissed and roared at Echo, she ran several yards back and gauged the river’s distance. Echo got to her feet slowly, her right side straining painfully. She barked another challenge at Blue. Delta squawked in confusion – why were they angry at each other? They had fought in the past, but Delta couldn’t imagine how it had been on her own for as long as Blue had.

They both watched the stripped raptor look again and take off at a running start towards them and the river. Delta’s keen eyes saw the falter in Blue’s stride as she got closer.

With a mighty scream, Blue launched herself off the ground – so desperate to get back to her pack that she would dare going over water – and sailed over. She barely made it, her body rocked back as she landed, tail tip hit the water and Blue screamed and launched forward –

Right into Echo’s bad side. 

Though the raptor had kept an eye on her, she couldn’t move enough to avoid Blue’s insane dash straight into her. Her burned side roared with pain and Echo let out a squalor of agony as Blue crashed into her. They both went down kicking, Echo to get Blue off and Blue because she thought Echo was attacking her. Eventually the two kicked apart and stood, both shaky. Delta streamlined over and ran her nose down Blue’s chin and down her neck, a purr rippling it’s way out of her maw.

Blue’s annoyed attitude was instantly brightened with Delta’s greeting. A purr shoved it’s way up the raptor’s throat as she rubbed noses with Delta and squawked cheerfully. Echo crouched and mewled softly at Blue who’s shining eyes hit her. There was a tense pause as the two looked at each other. Blue walked over, Echo tensed. Her eyes closed tightly.

A soft raspy tongue swept over her injured eye, drawing a keen of pain out of Echo. She flipped her head sharply and looked at Blue with her good eye. Blue cawed softly, rubbing at the good side of her face, purring. Echo responded joyfully, thoughts of rivalry, annoyance and pain put aside for a few minutes because she was just happy that Blue was alive.

And that they were all together again.

A pack at last.


End file.
